1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to devices and methods for creating cold plasmas, and, more particularly, to such devices that are hand-held and methods for using same.
2. Background Art
Atmospheric pressure hot plasmas are known to exist in nature. For example, lightning is an example of a DC arc (hot) plasma. Many dc arc plasma applications have been achieved in various manufacturing processes, for example, for use in forming surface coatings. Atmospheric pressure cold plasma processes are also known in the art. Most of the at or near atmospheric pressure cold plasma processes are known to utilize positive to negative electrodes in different configurations, which release free electrons in a noble gas medium.
Devices that use a positive to negative electrode configuration to form a cold plasma from noble gases (helium, argon, etc.) have frequently exhibited electrode degradation and overheating difficulties through continuous device operation. The process conditions for enabling a dense cold plasma electron population without electrode degradation and/or overheating are difficult to achieve.
Different applications of cold plasma devices require different size cold plasma plumes and different dimensional devices to produce those cold plasma plumes. For example, some medical treatments require a large cold plasma plume to treat a large external wound, while other treatments require a small cold plasma device that can be coupled to an elongated medical device that can traverse a small body passageway to reach a small internal treatment site.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a device for producing a cold plasma that overcomes the difficulties inherent in prior known devices.